Automated meter reading (AMR) devices are often configured to transmit data relating to utility usage parameters to a remote location, such as a utility company. As referenced herein, an AMR device may be a retro-fit device to a utility meter, or may be a solid-state device such as a utility meter itself. More specifically, a retro-fit AMR device attaches to an existing utility meter and includes functionality to read the existing utility meter, transform the meter reading into usable data, and transmit the data to a remote location. Solid-state AMR devices are designed to replace the existing utility meter and are attached directly to the utility line to measure utility usage data and to transmit the data to a remote location.
A significant drawback of prior art AMR devices is that they are functionally limited in their communications options and are thus not generally adaptable to evolving communications technology. AMR devices are typically constructed with hardware and/or software components for transmitting and receiving meter data over a single communications medium. However, as communications technology advances and new and different communications mediums are selected for the transmission of meter data, incompatible AMR devices must be replaced at great expense to the utility companies. Unfortunately, the cost of replacing incompatible AMR devices is often passed on to the consumer.
Another concern of utility companies as they adapt to new communication technologies for monitoring and controlling remote AMR devices is the infrastructure involved in providing a communication means for each AMR device. Where a large network of AMR devices is required, communication costs associated with each can be costly and inefficient. Furthermore, there is no effective and efficient mechanism by which to communicate with and receive data from a large number of remote meters. Therefore, there remains a need in the art for an AMR device that is able to adapt to evolving communications technology by being operable to transmit and receive meter data via any communications medium while simplifying the infrastructure and lowering the cost of providing communication means for monitoring and controlling each AMR device from a remote location.